The Independent Institute’s California Golden Fleece® Awards highlight state or local government spending programs, taxes, or regulations that fleece California taxpayers, consumers, or businesses. Please use the form below to submit candidates for future awards, or send your ideas to [email protected]. You can submit candidates anonymously.

California has some of the most protective whistle-blower and retaliation laws in the nation. Since the 1980s, the state’s whistle-blower laws encourage employees to report unlawful acts in the workplace without fear of retaliation (Diego v. Pilgrim United Church of Christ (2014) 231 Cal.App.4th 913, 922). Protections extend to government employees who report violations of local, state, or federal law to outside bodies, including watchdog tip lines or websites such as this.